Tempura is another one of those Japanese dishes that are so popular and well-known all over the world. You can find tempura at basically any Japanese restaurant in Australia and I’m sure it’s a dish everyone loves to order.
I always order tempura when I eat at a Japanese restaurant because it’s something that I don’t often make at home because it can be a little tricky to do perfectly and can take up some time but it’s definitely worth it. This tempura consists of prawns and mixed vegetables that taste so delicious and make a great party appetizer or finger food (it’s also a great way to get your kids to eat some veggies)! The batter for this tempura also has a special ingredient which makes the tempura stay crispy and delicious!
Tempura is one of my favourite Japanese foods that I always have to have when I go back to Japan for a vacation. One of the best places I’ve ever had tempura was at a tempura restaurant in Kyoto. Everything was made so perfectly; it wasn’t too oily and it was made right in front of us at the counter and placed on our plates straight from the fryer so it was so fresh and warm! It was perfectly crispy and light and soooo delicious so we did over-eat a bit but we didn’t care.
Tempura isn’t that hard to make yourself but it can be a bit difficult to make it as well as they do at restaurants, which is understandable since it’s their job to make food that good. But the homemade version is still super delicious and will be a big hit at your next party! I used Japanese mayonnaise as a special little ingredient to make sure the tempura stays crispy and fresh.
Eggs are often used to make the batter for tempura but this often makes the tempura very oily and soggy because after it is fried there is still moisture in the batter; however, by using mayonnaise instead of egg, the emulsified oil from the mayo disperses into the batter which doesn’t leave any moisture in the batter so the tempura stays deliciously crispy! I was super terrible at science in school so if you want to know more of the science behind it you can visit the Kewpie website, which explains it much better than I can.
Of course tempura can’t be eaten without the special dipping sauce so I’ve included the recipe for that as well! This is my daughter’s absolute favourite sauce ever, she drenches her tempura in it because she just loves the flavour so much. It’s a really tasty and sort of sweet sauce that goes perfectly with tempura (and any other food, according to my daughter). Serve the crispy tempura with this delicious sauce and enjoy it all!
Make Iconic and traditional Japanese food Tempura at home
- 3 Prawns
- 3 Slices of purple sweet potato
- 2 Slices of lenkon
- 2 Slices of shiso
- 2 Shiitake mushrooms
- 50 g Plain flour
- 75 ml Ice cold water
- 1 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Mirin
- 1 cup of Water
- 1/4 cup Soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Dashi powder
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Prepare the prawn and vegetables and set aside.
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Put the mayonnaise in a bowl and gradually add the water while mixing together.
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Add the flour and mix together briefly (don't over-mix or it will be too gooey).
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Fill a deep pan or deep-fryer with vegetable oil and heat until 180c.
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Add each ingredient (prawn & vegetable) to the batter individually to coat them and put them into the oil.
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When the ingredients are cooked place them onto a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
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Continue to coat and fry each ingredient until all done.
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Add the mirin to a small sauce pan and boil on high heat for about 1 minute (this will allow all the alcohol to evaporate).
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Add the water, soy sauce, and dashi powder and bring to a boil.
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Place the sauce in a bowl and allow it to cool down then serve with the Tempura.
Tempura is quite difficult to make at home. To achieve crispy and crunchy tempura batter is to use Japanese mayonnaise. If you can not get Japanese mayonnaise, it can be omit. Instead of using Japanese mayonnaise, make all other batter ingredients really cold. Use icy cold water and keep the bowl of batter in fridge until just before it is used.
I love tempura. I’ve always thought that tempura needed thick coating until I went to a super Japanese place and their tempura coating looked thin and pale and I thought what kind of tempura is this. Little did I know…. it was one of the best ones I’ve even and it changed me.
Thank you AiPing. Tempura is tricky to make, not to thin, not to thick and have to be crispy. Using Japanese mayo in batter is the secret:D
Ah, so now we know the trick….Japanese mayo!
Yes Dorothy:D Japanese mayo is the queen of condiment! I love the versatility of Japanese mayo and they are scientifically proven.
These look fantastic! Love me some tempura.
Thank you Dana:D
I love tempura, but have never tried making it myself. I will have to pick up some Japanese mayo!
Thank you Amanda. Japanese Mayo is so versatile. You will not regret to buy it:D
Tempura is a must for me every time I go to a Japanese restaurant! Thanks for this recipe. Now I can make it at home! 🙂
Thank you for visiting Mary. Remember to use Japanese mayo, it sounds strange but it works:D
I never realized tempura is so easy to make! Do you think it will b good with a regular mayo? I don’t think I will be able to find Japanese one where I live…
Hi Teresa, as long as the mayo you use is made out of only egg yolk should work same as the Kewpie Japanese mayo. I will do making copy cat Kewpie Mayo recipe soon so people can not buy Kewpie one can make their own:D
thanks for this Shihoko – I LOVE tempura. Must try your special recipe and thank you so much for giving the recipe for the dipping sauce too
Thank you Nazima:D The dipping sauce will make your Tempra real authentic Japanese Tempura:)
Kewpie mayonnaise in the batter! So that’s the secret. 🙂 The best tempura I’ve ever had was in Tokyo. Just the right amount of batter and the sauce was great. You’ve given me the perfect recipe to recreate that experience at home.
Thank you Christine:D Hope you enjoy Tempura at home from now on.
Interesting, gotta give the mayo thing a try, I always make my tempura with a mix of cornflour and plain flour rather than all plain flour and us ice cold fizzy water, it seems to help the batter stay crispy 🙂
Yes Brian, worth to give it a go as it is scientifically proven and on top of that if you use ice cold water like you do:D
this recipe is my dream!!
wow! Thank you for your nice comment